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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3282 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1453
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Marjorie C. Decker and Alice Hanlon Peisch
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act concerning furnishing transcripts of notes and fees.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Marjorie C. Decker25th Middlesex1/20/2023Alice Hanlon Peisch14th Norfolk1/20/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/20/2023John J. Lawn, Jr.10th Middlesex1/24/2023John J. CroninWorcester and Middlesex1/25/2023Sean Garballey23rd Middlesex1/26/2023Steven George Xiarhos5th Barnstable2/1/2023Steven Owens29th Middlesex2/2/2023Peter Capano11th Essex2/3/2023Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/6/2023Jennifer Balinsky Armini8th Essex2/6/2023Thomas M. Stanley9th Middlesex2/10/2023Michelle L. Ciccolo15th Middlesex2/13/2023James Arciero2nd Middlesex2/16/2023Russell E. Holmes6th Suffolk2/22/2023 1 of 4
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3282 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1453
By Representatives Decker of Cambridge and Peisch of Wellesley, a petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 1453) of Marjorie C. Decker, Alice Hanlon Peisch and others relative to
furnishing transcripts of notes and audio recordings taken at trials or hearings. The Judiciary.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act concerning furnishing transcripts of notes and fees.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
2Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the word, “stenographer" and
3inserting in place thereof the word: “transcriber.”
4 SECTION 2. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
5Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the words, “his notes” and inserting
6in place thereof the words: “their notes or audio recording.”
7 SECTION 3. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
8Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 3, the word, “he” and inserting in
9place thereof the word: “they.”
10 SECTION 4. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
11Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, “$3” and inserting in place thereof:
12“$5.” 2 of 4
13 SECTION 5. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
14Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, “$1” and inserting in place thereof:
15“$1.67.”
16 SECTION 6. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
17Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the word: "additional."
18 SECTION 7, Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
19Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the words: "at the same time."
20 SECTION 8. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
21Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 6, the word, “stenographer" and
22inserting in place thereof the word: “transcriber.”
23 SECTION 9. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
24Official Edition is hereby amended by striking out, in line 7, “$5” and inserting in place thereof:
25“$8.35.”
26 SECTION 10. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
27Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 9, the word, “open source” and
28inserting in place thereof the word: “open-source.”
29 SECTION 11. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
30Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 10, the words: "additional paper."
31 SECTION 12. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
32Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 11, “$.10” and inserting in place
33thereof: “$.20” 3 of 4
34 SECTION 13. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
35Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 12, the word, “daily” and inserting in
36place thereof the word: “rush.”
37 SECTION 14. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
38Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 13, “$4.50” and inserting in place
39thereof: “$7.50.”
40 SECTION 15. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
41Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 13, the word: "copy."
42 SECTION 16. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
43Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 13, “$1.50” and inserting in place
44thereof: “$2.50.”
45 SECTION 17. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
46Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 14, the word: "additional."
47 SECTION 18. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
48Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 15, the word, "stenographer" and
49inserting in place thereof the word: "transcriber.”
50 SECTION 19. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
51Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 16, “$5” and inserting in place
52thereof: “$8.35.”
53 SECTION 20. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
54Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 17, the words: "additional paper." 4 of 4
55 SECTION 21. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
56Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking, in line 19, the words, "$.10 per page" and
57inserting in place thereof the words: "$7.50 for the original and $.20 per page for each copy."
58 SECTION 22. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
59Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after paragraph one the following paragraph:
60 Section 88a.
61 Beginning on the first day of July 2028, and on the first day of each fifth July thereafter,
62the rates and fees set forth in section 88 shall be increased to reflect changes in the Consumer
63Price Index as follows: The rates and fees set forth in section 88 shall be multiplied by a fraction,
64the denominator of which shall be the Consumer Price Index for March 1993 and the numerator
65of which shall be the Consumer Price Index for the March immediately preceding the applicable
66July 1. For the purposes of this section, the Consumer Price Index shall mean that table in the
67Consumer Price Index published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
68Statistics, now known as: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and
69percent changes for selected periods, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Ma.-N.H. (1982-84=100
70unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted). If this Consumer Price Index shall be
71discontinued, then the presiding justice of the administrative office of the trial court shall
72designate any successor Consumer Price Index of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, or
73any successor agency thereto for Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire.
74The (1) office of transcription services or (2) the presiding justice of the administrative office of
75the trial court shall issue directives to implement the purposes of this section.